Book-holder



(No Model.) G. HESSLER.

BOOK HOLDER.

No; 263,290. PatentedAuga 22, 1882.

Jim/(Z01 6530- 77: fi essfen- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. HESSLER, OF SGRANTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS D. SAX, OF WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,290, dated August 22, 1882.

Application filed July 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. HEssLER, of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Book-Holders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to devices of the class known as book-holders, which are adapted to be used either upon the music-rack of a piano or organ or upon a desk or easel to hold the pages of a book opened at a particular place as long as required.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts composing the device, as fully hereinafter explained.

V The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top or plan view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section,

and Fig. 3 is a cross-section.

A represents the base board or plate, which may be composed of n1etal,if desired, but is more preferably made of some ornamental wood-as black \valn u t-ti nished in anyappro- 2 priate manner, so as to form an ornamental attachment to a musical instrument. At one end of this plate is a slot, at, and into this slot is glued the end piece, 13, which is made of wood of sufficient thickness to enter the said slot.

0 This end piece may be carved or otherwise ornamented in any desirable manner, and is provided with a central perforation for conwnience in hanging the plate when not in use.

It will be understood by referring to Fig. 1

5 that the end piece,B,is of slightly less diameter than the plate A, so that the slotted portion of such plate projects a little beyond the piece 13, at each side thereof. Passing through the slot in A, between the bottom of such slot 0 and the lower end of B, is a wire spring, 0.

At the end of the piece B, on each side thereof, this spring is bent upward at right angles along the edge of the plate, and is formed into coils c c, as shown. The ends of the wire 5 leaving the coils extend downward for about half the length of the plate A, on the opposite sides thereof, so as to form clipsff, which bear upon the pages of a. book open beneath them. The wire is prevented from turning in the slot by bearing against the sides of the slot in the plate A, in proximity to the edges of thepiece B, as shown at c, it being impossible to move the wire either backward or forward, since it is held firmly by the opposite sides of the slot.

The back or lower side of the part A is covered with cloth or felting to avoid injury by scratching to the rack of the musical instrument.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. The holder is suspended upon the upper edge of the open book or music, so that the clips bear upon the opposite edges, there being no direct pressure, but simply enough to prevent such pages from opening themselves.

It will be observed that the device is exceedingly simple, and capable of attachment to all kinds of books and pamphlets by simply attaehing it to the top of the pages in the manner indicated.

I am aware that complicated spring fastening and holding devices of various kinds have been employed for this purpose,which are generally intended to be permanently attached to a music rack or table, and I do not claim such devices, my invention being limited to the special form and construction heretofore described.

What I claim is As a new article of manufacture, aleaf-holder for books, consisting of the wooden base A,the 8o rigid head 13, secured in a slot, at, in such base, and the continuous wire secured between the said parts A B, extending outside of the same and having the coils, and terminating in the spring-clipsf, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. HESSLER. Witnesses:

EVERETT WARREN,

JAS. H. ToRREY. 

